THE PROTESTANT LOVERS--A RIVAL--DIEDRICH FINDS HIS FOOTSTEPS DOGGED--
FINDS A FRIEND IN THE FERRYMAN--THREATENED WITH THE INQUISITION--FLIES
TO SEA.
Not far from the broad and slow-flowing river Meuse stands the town of
Brill. Flanders, in which it is found, formed at the period to which we
refer a province of the dominions belonging to Philip of Spain. It was
ruled with no very paternal hand by the Duke of Alva, who resided
chiefly at Brussels. He had been employed for several years in burning,
hanging, drowning, and cutting off the heads of his loving subjects, and
torturing them in a variety of ways, in order to make them dutiful
children of the Church of Rome, and of his master, Philip. Not with
great success, for they still hated, with an unalterable deadly hatred,
both one and the other. Brill at that time was not a populous city, nor
did it possess much commercial importance; but it was well walled and
fortified, however, and had a most commodious port. The inhabitants
were peaceable, well-disposed people, who thought as much of themselves
as the citizens of other cities of similar importance are apt to do.
Among them was a young merchant--Diedrich Meghem. He had made several
voyages of adventure, and was well accustomed to a seafaring life. Now
prosperous, and hoping to become wealthy, he was about to settle down as
a steady citizen on shore, with the expectation of some day, perhaps,
becoming burgomaster of his native city. Diedrich, as young men are apt
to do, looked about for a wife to share his good fortune, and had fixed
his affections on Gretchen Hopper, a fair and very lovely girl, the
daughter of a flourishing merchant. Hopper was supposed to be the
possessor of considerable wealth--a dangerous distinction in those days.
Duke Alva heard of the merchant Hopper's reputed wealth, and had made a
note to take an early opportunity of relieving him of a portion if not
the whole of it. Hopper was known to hold the reformed principles, and
though he was careful not to intrude his opinions in public, the duke's
advisers suggested that there would be no difficulty in bringing up an
accusation of heresy against him. Diedrich was an ardent Protestant.
His eye had long been fixed on William of Orange as the person best able
to lift his country out of the present depressed condition in which she
groaned.
Gretchen was a quiet, gentle girl, and she also held to the opinions of
her father and her lover, in spite of her gentleness, with a
determination in no way inferior to theirs. Gretchen soon found out
that the honest, generous-hearted Diedrich loved her, and not long after
this discovery she acknowledged to him that he possessed her entire
heart. She had, however, other admirers, from whom she might have
chosen a husband of a nobler family and of greater wealth than Diedrich.
Among other pretenders to her hand was Caspar Gaill, a Fleming of good
family, who, however, held to the Romish faith and supported the
government of Alva. The merchant Hopper had a great regard for
Diedrich, and was well pleased to find that he wished to become his
daughter's husband. He at once accepted him as a son-in-law, and gave
the young couple his blessing.
"The times are not propitious for marriage, however," he observed.
"Matters may mend; they can scarcely grow worse. Gretchen is young, and
can wait a little. You must have patience, then, my good friend
Diedrich."
Gretchen and her lover passed many pleasant evenings together, though it
was considered prudent not to make their intended marriage public. One,
however, had watched Diedrich's constant visits to the house, and his
heart burned with jealousy.
One evening Diedrich was returning to his home, when, looking over his
shoulder on hearing footsteps, he discovered that he was followed. When
he walked faster, the stranger proceeded also at the same rate; when he
stopped, the stranger stopped; when he went at a slow pace, the stranger
slackened his speed. At length, passing a shrine at the corner of a
street, before which a bright lamp was kept burning, Diedrich turned
sharply round, and found himself standing face to face with the person
who had been following him.
"What object have you in dodging my steps?" asked Diedrich, placing his
hand on his sword ready to draw.
"As you ask me a question, I will put another to you," said the
stranger, also drawing his sword half out of the scabbard. "For what
purpose do you visit the house where you have been passing the evening?"
"You put a question to which I positively refuse to reply to any one,
and still less to you, Caspar Gaill, for I know you well," answered
Diedrich, still further drawing out his sword.
"Then I refuse to answer the question you put to me," said Caspar. "We
understand each other, and you may know me henceforth as your enemy."
"A matter of very little consequence," answered Diedrich, in a scornful
tone.
The young men parted, but from that day forward Diedrich was aware that
his footsteps were constantly followed when he went abroad, especially
on the Sabbath, when he was accustomed to attend the meetings of the
Protestants held in the city. Still he was too proud and too fearless
to alter his mode of proceeding on this account. At night often he saw
in the distance a dim figure following him, but which, when he turned
round, invariably disappeared.
On one occasion he resolved to pursue the spy, and punish him severely
if he could overtake him. Scarcely had he left his home when he
observed a figure as usual like a distant shadow coming after him. He
walked on for some way, as if indifferent to the circumstance, by gentle
degrees slackening his pace, till, as he supposed, his pursuer had
approached nearer than usual. He then suddenly turned round, and,
darting forward, was close up to the man before the latter made any
attempt to escape.
"Why, Diedrich Meghem, you seem to be in a desperate hurry this
evening," said a voice he thought he recollected.
"What, Peter Kopplestock, are you my secret pursuer?" he asked, in a
tone of surprise.
"It may be so, but I may be your guardian angel," answered the person
thus addressed, in a low voice. "I have been wishing to see you without
witnesses for some days past, and now the matter brooks of no delay."
"Come to my house, then," said Diedrich; "we can speak there without
fear of interruption."
"That's the very place it will not be wise for me to go to," said Peter;
"if I go there I shall be observed. Do you come to my house. You will
find a porch a little to the right of it. Slip in there and remain
quiet for a few minutes. Should you be followed at the time, your
pursuer will pass by and lose sight of you. Come in an hour hence. It
will be dangerous to put off the visit till to-morrow."
Diedrich followed the advice of his friend. He had known Peter
Kopplestock from his earliest days. Peter was of no very exalted rank,
but he had numerous friends who, not without reason, put confidence in
him. His chief occupation was that of a ferryman plying across the
river Meuse. He also visited the ships which appeared at the mouth of
the river when unable for want of wind to come up to the town, and took
provisions off to them, and brought messages on shore. Peter
Kopplestock took an especial interest in Diedrich; Diedrich had always
been his generous employer, and was now going to marry his niece.
The wealthy merchant Hopper had once been a humble clerk, and he then
had married the very beautiful sister of Peter the ferryman. She had
died, and her young daughter had been educated as well as any young lady
in the land. Diedrich was well aware of the relationship, and it
increased the confidence he felt in Peter, who was also of his own way
of thinking--indeed, a more thorough Protestant could not have been
found.
Diedrich found his way, at the hour appointed, to Peter Kopplestock's
cottage down by the river-side. He saw, when leaving his own house, the
usual figure following him, but he hoped, by hiding himself as Peter had
advised him to do, to escape from his pursuer. The cottage door was
ajar. He pushed it open and entered. Peter welcomed him cordially.
"I have sad news for you, my friend," said the ferryman. "You have been
denounced to the Inquisition as a heretic, and your enemies have
resolved to take your life. Among them you may reckon Caspar Gaill. He
thinks that by getting rid of you he may win the hand of my fair niece."
"How do you know that?" asked Diedrich.
"He told me so himself," said the ferryman. "He is not aware of our
connection, and he takes me to be a Romanist. He confides to me his
love for Gretchen, if such a fellow has a heart to love, and, in case
she should continue to refuse his hand, he engaged me to assist him in
carrying her off. A pretty proceeding that would be. However, I did
not decline his offer, but told him that I was very sure he was
premature in executing his plan; that he must wait patiently, and that
by-and-by, should the young lady continue obdurate, he might put it into
execution."
"But what do you advise me to do?" asked Diedrich. "I cannot leave
Gretchen--I cannot leave my business to ruin and destruction; I would
rather remain and brave the worst."
"Tell me, have any of those who have been denounced to the Inquisition
escaped from their fangs?" said Peter. "I trow not; then how do you
hope to escape death if you remain? Take my advice, my friend; fly
while you can, before your wings are clipped. It is a hard thing, I
know, for you to leave the girl you love, and it's cruel to neglect a
flourishing business which is affording you a handsome income. But you
need not lead a life of indolence. You wear a sword, and you have an
arm to wield it. You would be welcomed by those bold rovers of the sea,
the `water beggars.' If you offer your assistance to William de la
Marck, he will gladly accept it. It would be a glorious thing to assist
in liberating your country, and the only aid we can hope for is from the
ocean. On shore we cannot withstand the cruel Spaniards, but at sea we
may compete with them successfully."
Diedrich sat silent for some time.
"You cast down my hopes just now, but you have again raised them," he
exclaimed. "I will go and consult Gretchen. If she urges me to go, I
will follow your advice; I am sure that she will remain true to me till
I return."
"I wish that I could persuade you to go off at once," said Peter; "your
enemies are vigilant, and determined on your destruction, and any moment
you may find yourself in their power."
Diedrich promised to be cautious, and to keep as much as possible within
the house during the next day, while he would make all the preparation
in his power for his speedy departure, should Gretchen approve of his
intention.
Peter told him that there was a vessel down the river on the point of
sailing. He was acquainted with the captain, who was a warm partisan of
the Prince of Orange, and would do his utmost to protect him should he
go on board.
Diedrich Meghem was a brave man, but the Inquisition, he knew too well,
was not an institution to be trifled with. Poor Gretchen was
overwhelmed with grief when she heard of the dangerous position in which
Diedrich was placed. She urged him to fly without delay, promising
again and again to be faithful to him, and to welcome him as a husband
whenever he should return. The merchant Hopper also advised him to
leave the country. Diedrich Meghem had made all the arrangements
possible with his head clerk and manager, and was still writing busily
at his own house, having packed up such articles as he desired to take
with him, when Peter Kopplestock hurried into his room.
"It's time for you to be off at once, my friend," he exclaimed; "this
very night the Inquisitors' officers will visit your house, and if they
find you, will carry you off to an imprisonment from which, with life,
you will never escape. Here, I have brought this large Spanish cloak;
throw it over your shoulders and follow me. Your portmanteau and bags I
will take care of."
It was already too dark to distinguish people in the streets. Peter led
the way down to the river, Diedrich following him. They were quickly on
board the ferryboat, but Peter, instead of pulling over to the other
bank of the river, rowed down the stream as fast as his arms could urge
on the boat. Diedrich stepped on board the vessel, where he was
welcomed cordially by the skipper. Peter threw his portmanteau and bag
over the bulwarks, and giving him his blessing, pulled back to the town.